Browns' Josh Gordon: 'My goal is to be the best wide receiver of all time'

BEREA, Ohio -- Jerry Rice better watch out. Josh Gordon plans on unseating him as the greatest receiver to ever play the game.

"I think any wide receiver, any position should see themselves in that way," he said Wednesday in his first interview in Berea since reporting to the team on Tuesday. "For me, that's always been my goal, and ... now being back in the situation to do it, I plan on seeing it through.''

Gordon, wearing a ballcap with a lightning bolt on it for his nickname "Flash," said he's confident he can achieve his goal because of the work he's put in. While working out at N.U.M.A. Speed in Gainesville, Fla. with former Olympic sprinter Tim Montgomery, Gordon said he improved his speed and endurance and increased his strength. He looked significantly trimmer, and his body fat has decreased to 9 percent from 16 percent a year ago.

"I feel as though I'll work harder than everyone else at my position to be the best version of myself,'' he said. "I'm definitely confident in what I can produce out there."

Gordon, 26, isn't rehashing the issues that led him to be suspended for 51 of Browns' last 56 games. He has spent more than 100 days in rehab.

He said his one-on-one meeting Tuesday with coach Hue Jackson went well.

"It was a bunch of laughs, a bunch of smiles, coach Jackson's a great guy," he said. "He understands football, he understands players and me and him have a good relationship. He's supportive more than anything. He's just shown his support throughout the entirety of my transition coming back and I'm glad to be working with him and I'm glad that he's here."

Jackson said he believes Gordon is truly committed to staying clean and sober this time.

"I was really impressed sitting across from Josh and talking to him,'' he said. "It was different than the time a year ago. I saw a young man who was a lot more mature, who understood exactly where he is and what he's trying to do. I was very pleased with where Josh was. He looks in tremendous shape and there's a different look in his eye."

A do-over

Gordon was dismayed last year when Jackson and the rest of the organization essentially shut the door on him when he checked himself back into rehab. Jackson, in particular, seemed exasperated -- and said he was finished with dealing with Gordon. It gave Gordon pause about wanting to come back.

"Myself, the franchise, the fans, everybody was frustrated at that point in time, so I understand it," he said. "I believe me and coach Jackson, Sashi Brown and the front office have moved on. They obviously welcomed me back into the organization. I'm looking forward to this year."

When asked if he wants to be here, he didn't jump to say yes.

"I'm here to help the team win. That's my first priority, just being the best football player I can be," he said. "Anything after that I have no control over. I'm here to help this team win and do that the best way I know how and that's being the best wide receiver."

As for returning to the scene of so many of his troubles, he acknowledged it won't be easy. Some close to him think a change of scenery might be best, but he'll start out here and see how it goes.

"Just living it out, honestly,'' he said. "Just seeing it through. Seeing what's next for me. Ultimately, nobody knows what the future holds. As long as I do my part, the rest will take care of itself."

His last chance?

Gordon, who's been to rehab four times, knows this is probably his last chance in the NFL. Therefore, he must walk that straight and narrow road one day at a time.

"Every day gets easier,'' he said. "But right now I think I'm just focused on the football aspect of it, and the rest I take care of outside of here is where I'd like to keep it."

Jackson acknowledged that it's a two-way street with Gordon.

"You earn it every day," he said. "We also have the earn his trust and him sharing with us the things he's been through. It goes both ways. But over time it will show itself where we are. We're ... going to give him every opportunity to do the things he needs to do to be a part of this football team."

Jackson said he doesn't think Gordon is just saying what everyone wants to hear.

"I normally can spot those people pretty quickly,'' he said. "I don't think by any stretch that this Josh Gordon that I've spent time with the last day or so is in that thought process.

"What I see is a guy who's grateful for the opportunity to be back here, grateful to have the opportunity to be in the National Football League, and moreso than that, wants to do better and have a better life."

Gordon told GQ magazine that he's never played a game without being high or drunk. But Tuesday he declined to say how he'll handle playing sober.

"I know I'm clean and sober and I'm looking forward to that."

Gordon said he plans to work extra with rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer once he's allowed to practice with the team beginning Nov. 20. For now, he's only able to work out on his own and attend meetings. He'll be eligible to play in the final five games, beginning Dec. 3 in Los Angeles against the Chargers.

"I talked to (Kizer) yesterday,'' said Gordon. "I told him 'our schedules conflict right now, but when you get a chance, you're not tired, let's get in some extra work.' He was open to it. He approached me about it. So I'm glad that that's where his head is at, and we have room to grow."

He's a dad now, too

The last time Gordon tried to make a go of it here, he was pulled off the practice field and told of an arrest warrant for failing to comply with a paternity suit. Ultimately, he was found to be the father of a Maple Heights, Ohio girl.

Someone else is depending on him now.

"All of [being sober] ties in very keenly to sports, to life - they intertwine very closely," he said. "From just ... how I view life and my stance on life and ... being an example for my daughter, really living it out. It definitely hits close to home on many different levels."

Harassment from fans

Gordon indicated he's hoping for a better relationship with Browns fans, whom he said in the GQ article harassed him and his family and threw coins at his car.

In the article, he urged fans to "give guys a chance. Be patient. Allow him to see it through. If he lets you down, he lets you down. But know that's a human being there. He's dealing with something."

On Wednesday, he said, "That was just my experience. I'm not saying that's what it is for everybody. That was just my experience and me telling the story. That was my truth, but what was doesn't have to be."

Gordon is limited to a maximum of five games this season, one shy of an accrued season. It means the Browns retain his rights for two more seasons, and he can't become an unrestricted free agent until after 2019.

"It worked out the way it worked out,'' he said. "I have no control over that situation. More than anything, I'm just glad to be back playing in any capacity. The rest I think will take care of itself when it gets there."

He said he hasn't yet entered into a formal business relationship with LeBron James and Maverick Carter, but that the two men have taken Gordon under their wing.

"They've been instrumental as far as just helping putting things into play and giving advice and some mentorship,'' said Gordon. "So I definitely appreciate [James] and his camp as to what they do for me."

Opening up

As for baring his soul in the GQ article and on Uninterrupted, he said it's part of his therapy.

"I'm just trying to be as transparent and as honest as I can be in a professional way,'' he said. "That's the way in which it was conveyed in trying to do the best I can to control that narrative. For me, it's beneficial to get out in front of it and let the rest take its natural course."

He said he was just as transparent in his reinstatement meeting with Roger Goodell.

"That's the way I plan to move on forward in a personal relationship, business relationship,'' he said. "(I'll put in the) proper context which people will not want to exploit."